Agricultural Museum

Website

E-mail

Brian Wimsett, Hon. Curator

Telephone

01304 824969

All information is drawn from or provided by the venues themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

The museum at Brook forms part of an attractive and historic group of buildings consisting of Court Lodge farmhouse, with its medieval moated site, manorial barnand hop oast. The adjacent Church of St Mary is a fine example of Norman and Early English work. Its early medieval wall paintings are of especial interest. The most important of the museum buildings is the late 14th century aisled barn with a crown post roof. It is a fine example of medieval craftsmanship in an excellent state of preservation. For almost forty years the Barn has housed the major part of the important Wye College collection of old farm equipment and implements, such as wagons and ploughs, mainly of Kentish origin. Adjacent to the barn is an oast house dated 1815, which is a virtually unique example of inner circle kiln construction. It has changed little since it was last used for hop drying in 1888, although it has been partially opened up to show its construction and method of operation. Small implements and hand tools are displayed on the ground floor and the upstairs cooling chamber. Many tools have associations with hop growing and are increasingly of historic interest.

Venue Type:

Museum

Opening hours

May-SeptWed & Sat 1400-1700Otherwise by appt

Closed: Oct-Aprilexcept by appt

Admission charges

Adult: £2.50Children: FreeOAP's: £1.50

Additional info

The Trustees are working towards making the Museum more useful to visitors with disabilities of various kinds but it is fair to state that at present some difficult problems exist. The buildings are old (this is their virtue!) and in almost their original condition. The floor in the Barn is uneven in places. Some of the exhibits project to some extent into the walkways and care is needed to avoid them. The exit from the Barn on to the lawn giving access to the Oast has deep steps (an alternative but longer route is available) and the upper floor of the Oast is only accessible by a steep flight of wooden steps. Despite two handrails these steps are not suitable for those with mobility problems. We currently lack facilities of real use to those with visual impairments but we do hope before long to make some provision for hearing-impaired visitors when conducted tours are taking place. There is adequate access to the shop and the toilet facilities for all visitors.